Sierra Service Project cohort designing tiny home as housing solution, program manager says

Jason Tonk Pitoon, program manager of the community building cohort at Sierra Service Project, said the Sacramento Sustainability Academy cohort is designing and building a custom tiny home as its capstone project to advance housing solutions in Sacramento.

Tonk Pitoon described the cohort’s role within the Sacramento Sustainability Academy, saying the academy "has a mission to build resilient communities by building resilient individuals." He said the tiny-home project is the practical expression of that mission and is intended to serve as a housing solution while giving participants hands-on training.

Tonk Pitoon also described his personal path into the work. "I actually moved to Sacramento a little over 2 years ago, and I came here to get into permaculture and to work with sustainable agriculture," he said. He added that after moving "I kind of moved here on a whim and very quickly actually ended up, unhoused." He said joining the Sierra Service Project and the academy’s workforce development program led him into the urban agriculture cohort.

He said the program gave him both skills and community: "I have not only found my purpose in what I've set out to do in Sacramento here, but I've genuinely found my family." He added that the cohort "offers a way for people to build up their personal skills and while building up their community as well."

Tonk Pitoon’s remarks focused on the dual goals of the capstone: creating a tangible housing prototype and providing a pathway for participants to gain construction-related and community-building experience. He did not provide details on funding, timeline, or where the tiny home would be sited.

The project as described combines a hands-on build with workforce development, aiming to connect training and housing solutions for participants and the broader Sacramento community.